Two roads lead to the same destination. One is shorter. One is faster. One is cheaper to use. One is more reliable. Which do you take? Routers face this question millions of times per second. And the answer isn't always obvious — because "best" depends on what you're optimizing for. Speed? Reliability? Cost? Policy? Route selection is how routers make that call. And the rules they follow are more nuanced than you might expect.
In this video, we'll discuss:
- When there's more than one option
- Metrics: putting a number on "best"
- Administrative distance: trusting the source
- Policy routing: when best isn't just technical
- Equal-cost multipath: using multiple routes at once
Route selection isn't one decision. It's a hierarchy of decisions, each one narrowing the field, with policy able to influence the outcome at every level.
